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Disabled individuals have the right to access justice and, thereby, the physical amalgamation of the U.S. justice system: the courthouse. But 'justice for all' often has extremely high barriers to [...]

By any measure, attorney Mark Messing of Traverse City, Michigan, had a successful career. After earning his JD and becoming admitted to the Michigan bar in 1979, Messing began his [...]

In 2015, I started what would be a seven-year law school journey. I was a first-generation American student and the only person in my family who had completed high school [...]

Congress should create a new special interest group within the 8(a) program for disabled business owners. This proposal will achieve the legislative goals of the Rehabilitation Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), particularly as they pertain to disability rights and employment policy. The Rehabilitation Act and the ADA focus on supporting and integrating disabled individuals in the business sector. Establishing a special interest group for disabled-owned businesses will support the disabled community through a federal small business assistance program. This proposal would also circumvent any issues resulting from AbilityOne's restrictive nature. AbilityOne, a federal program designed to encourage nonprofit organizations to employ disabled individuals, allows participating nonprofits to pay disabled workers a subminimum wage. This proposal would give disabled individuals more economic opportunities and federal aid outside of an AbilityOne participant. Similarly, disabled business owners would be able to avoid several problems related to the 8(a) program that have prevented them from fully utilizing the program in the past, including restrictive eligibility requirements, drifting oversight of the program, and misallocation of program resources. By creating a special interest group in the 8(a) program specifically for disabled business owners, the federal government and Congress can support an invaluable source of economic activity and make progress towards realizing the congressional goals surrounding disability rights and employment policy within the existing government framework., TABLE OF CONTENTS I. Introduction 528 II. History of Legislative Intent to Support the Disabled Community 531 A. The Javits Wagner-O'Day Act and AbilityOne 531 B. The Rehabilitation Act of [...]

When Andrew and Lauren Hackney followed their doctor's advice in caring for their baby, the Pennsylvania parents never dreamed it would lead to losing custody of their 7-month-old daughter--or that [...]

Systemic barriers related to stigma and subordination at work exist because of menstruation and related conditions. This results from the failure of many workplaces to acknowledge, anticipate, or accommodate the [...]

Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended in 1972, prohibits discrimination on the basis of a series of categories, including religion and 'all aspects of belief, [...]

Although it is a cliche, it is often said that the greatest asset of any organization is its people. Employees function as the backbone of any business as they are [...]

Website accessibility laws are evolving slowly and businesses are eager for guidance in this uncertain landscape. Over the past decade, courts have been increasingly inundated with lawsuits filed by individuals [...]

This is the tale of three communities confronting issues of sidewalk accessibility. These situations go to the core of accessibility planning, not simply legal disputes about curb cuts, ramps, and [...]

In the final days of 2022, President Biden signed into law the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA), which went into effect on June 27, 2023. The law was backed by [...]

The Equality Act is a federal bill pending in Congress that is designed to provide broad, nationwide protections against discrimination based on sex, sexual orientation, or gender identity that are [...]

Ever since the arrival of COVID-19 vaccines, private employers across the U.S. have grappled with whether to mandate vaccines for employees. Some businesses have implemented employee vaccine requirements as another [...]